


this sudden burst of sunlight

by SuburbanSun



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alex Manes Loves Michael Guerin, Canon Compliant, Chicken Soup, Future Fic, M/M, Michael Guerin Loves Alex Manes, Not Quite Together Yet But Getting There, Post-Season 2, Sick Character, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25262587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuburbanSun/pseuds/SuburbanSun
Summary: Alex isn’t exactly the easiest patient when he’s sick. Somehow, Michael doesn’t care.Malex Week 2020 Day 2: Trope Day
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 43
Kudos: 188
Collections: Malex Week 2020





	this sudden burst of sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Malex Week 2020 Day 2: Trope Day.
> 
> Title from Stray Italian Greyhound by Vienna Teng.

Alex’s phone trilled twice— his proximity alarm, letting him know someone was pulling into his driveway— and he sneezed three times in rapid succession. He unlocked his phone with the hand that wasn’t wiping at his nose with a tissue and frowned at the sight of Michael’s familiar truck. 

He hoped nothing was wrong. He was in no state to be pulled into some alien emergency, not with this level of snot and congestion. 

Still, he pushed himself off the couch and grabbed for his crutches, making his way to the door and preparing for the worst. His heart fluttered at the thought that Michael might just be stopping by to see _him_ , the way he’d started doing more and more often. He did his best to ignore it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he swung the door open. On his front stoop stood Michael, his hat in one hand and a quart-sized container of what looked like soup in the other. 

“I feel like I should be asking you that.” Michael nodded at the pack of tissues Alex had tucked into the chest pocket of his T-shirt like someone’s frail grandmother. Ducking his head, Alex chuckled at himself, then pivoted on his crutches to head back inside. Michael followed behind him.

“Beer’s in the usual drawer in the fridge if you want one,” Alex said over his shoulder, easing himself back onto the couch with a massive yawn. Normally with company, he’d be tempted to play host, even if he felt like death. But it was _Michael_ , whose presence in his space had become increasingly common over the past few months. Comfortable, even. 

“Mmhmm,” Michael responded, and Alex could hear him rustling around in the kitchen. “You hungry?” 

Alex wrinkled his nose as he settled into the cushions. “Not particularly.” Nothing ever tasted quite right when he was sick, and it made it hard to convince himself to eat enough.

“Better question— when was the last time you ate?” 

“Um…”

“That’s what I thought.” 

Fluffing the pillow from his bed that he’d propped up against the arm of the couch, Alex listened to the burner on his stove light up, then to the sound of liquid sloshing into a saucepan. After a moment, he could make out the faint scent of spices coming from the kitchen, even through his congestion.

“Here. Drink this.” Michael came out of the kitchen with his beer in one hand and a glass of water in the other, a straw sticking out of it. Alex reached out and took it with a frown.

“I didn’t even know I _had_ straws.” 

“Saw ‘em in the back of a drawer last time I was here.” Michael cracked open his beer, then set it on the coffee table before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Alex sipped the water. “What, no ice? The service here leaves a little something to be desired, you know.” 

“You can write me a scathing Yelp review later,” Michael answered, reappearing with a bowl in hand. “Room temp water hydrates you faster. You need lots of fluids when you’re sick, you know.” He set the bowl on the table in front of Alex, then pulled a spoon from the front pocket of his flannel and flipped it around to offer it to Alex handle-first. “Eat up.” 

In spite of himself, Alex _was_ a little hungry. He sat up on the sofa, pulling a throw blanket over his lap and dragging the bowl of soup to the edge of the coffee table, close enough to reach. He expected Michael to have a seat in the armchair across the room, where he tended to lounge when he came over, but instead he flopped down on the couch right next to Alex and stared at him expectantly. He paused, his spoon poised in midair, and stared back. 

“Well?” 

Alex rolled his eyes. “Well what?” 

“Well… aren’t you gonna try it?” 

“Are you planning on watching me the whole time?” 

Michael held up both hands in surrender, shaking his head with an amused little laugh. When he leaned back in his seat, casually resting his arm along the back of the sofa, Alex finally relented and took a bite. 

The first surprise was that he could taste it. The second surprise was that it was _good_.

“Did you make this yourself?” 

“Hey, don’t act so shocked!” Alex raised an eyebrow, and Michael laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I mean, the Airstream kitchen’s fine for the basics, but I needed to spread out a little for this one. Sanders lent me his kitchen. And maybe helped tweak the recipe a little bit.” Alex took another bite, and Michael went on. “When I told him you were sick, he had a few suggestions. Mostly fresh herbs. Did you know Sanders has an herb garden? I think I might get some cuttings from him, see if I can grow them myself out behind the Airstream, actually. Might be nice.”

Swallowing another bite of soup, Alex smiled softly, shifting in his seat so he could get a better look at Michael as he imagined him tending to a little herb garden. “That would be nice.” Then he frowned. “Wait— how’d you find out I was sick, anyway?”

“Freakin’ _Valenti_ told me.”

Alex cocked his head to the side, pinning Michael with a look. “I thought you didn’t hate Kyle anymore.” 

Michael shrugged. “I _don’t_ hate him. I hate that I found out you’re sick because I just _happened_ to be picking up food at the Crashdown at the same time he was stopping in for coffee, and he just _happened_ to say he’d called in a prescription for you, and he just _happened_ to ask me if you’d picked it up yet. Because he assumed I already _knew_.” 

“Why would you already know?” 

Michael huffed impatiently, looking around the room as if searching for an answer before shifting closer to face Alex on the couch. “Because, Alex! Because we’re—” He stopped short.

“Because we’re—” Alex’s sinuses chose that moment to tickle, and he sneezed, just managing to grab a tissue. He wiped his nose and looked back up, dimly noting the fond expression on Michael’s face through his sick, sleepy haze. “Because we’re what?” 

“Because we’re…” Michael let out a long exhale. “I don’t know what we are. But… I know we’ve been spending a lot of time together lately.”

“We have.” 

“And I know that you’re adorable when you’re all sneezy and bleary-eyed like this.” Alex grimaced, and Michael just laughed, then continued, his voice gentler. “And I know when I found out you were sick, all I wanted to do was take care of you.” 

“I can take care of myself, Guerin,” Alex said, eyebrows and hackles raised in equal measure, but Michael’s soft smile didn’t fade. 

“No shit, Alex. I know that better than anyone.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to. So, yeah, I heard the news from _Valenti_ , and I immediately went to the store for ingredients to make you soup. And then I came over here unannounced, even though I know you get all cranky when you’re sick.” 

Alex opened his mouth to argue, but when Michael made a face, he just sighed. It was true and Alex knew it. 

“And I know I don’t want to be anywhere else but here. Even if you’re just gonna sneeze all over me, and complain that your water’s too warm and tell me my soup sucks.” 

Alex swallowed, curling in his seat ‘til he was facing Michael. Their knees brushed together. “Your soup doesn’t suck.” 

“Thanks,” Michael murmured. 

“And,” Alex continued. “And I want you here, too.” 

Michael glanced down at the knit throw in Alex’s lap. “That blanket big enough for two?” Alex held out a corner, and he pulled it onto his lap, nudging Alex’s knee with his own again. “Maybe after I nurse you back to health—” Alex grumbled, but Michael just laughed, moving the hand that had been resting on the back of the couch to stroke lightly at the back of Alex’s head. He melted into the touch, couldn’t stop himself. Didn’t really want to stop himself even if he could. “Like I was saying… maybe I nurse you back to health, and then we can… talk? About whatever it is we are?”

“Mmm,” Alex hummed, his eyelids already drooping. He burrowed deeper into the couch cushions and pulled the blanket up higher, enjoying the soothing feeling of Michael’s fingers in his hair. “Talking sounds good. Tomorrow.” 

“Yeah. Tomorrow. You’ll feel better then.” 

And when Alex woke up the next morning, emerging from the bedroom he’d managed to make it to the night before to find Michael sprawled across the couch and drooling all over his pillow in the soft, early morning sunlight, he really, really did.

**Author's Note:**

> Want to hang out on tumblr? I'm [unbreakablejemmasimmons](https://unbreakablejemmasimmons.tumblr.com/) over there!


End file.
